Mobile Food Premises

A 'mobile food vehicle' is defined as a vehicle propelled by a motor, which cannot be a converted bicycle or push cart, or a food vending machine.

A mobile food business that conducts the following activities is required to hold a licence with Council:

food trucks

a food business that involves selling hamburgers from a motor vehicle

ice cream van

pie van (smoko truck)

mobile snack trucks

mobile food trailers

domestic water carriers

unpackaged food from a vending machine.

The design, fit-out and type of mobile food vehicle that you plan to use may influence the acitvities that can be conduted and therefore influence the type of foods you can provide. For example, a van where all food handling is conducted on the outside of the van (i.e. on an attached benched under a door of the van), may be limited in terms of the items it can sell. This is due to a higher chance of contamination to food preparation surfaces.

The Food Act 2006 enables an operator of a mobile food vehicle to take the vehicle into any local government in Queensland and only requires licensing from one local council area in Queensland from where it is based.

Mobile vehicles can operate on private property in an itinerant way with the land owners permission. This means that the business arrives at a work places, sells food and then moves on. For operators of mobile vehicles that wish to sell food on private property on a permenat basis contact must be made with Council's Planning department on 1300 883 699 as the premises maybe considered a 'fixed premises' under the Council's planning scheme and require planning approval.

For mobile premises that wish to operate on Council land please visit Council's Commerical Use of Council land and roads webpage.

Non-for-profit organisations who wish to operate out of a temporary stall and sell the following are exempt from licensing, however, a notification application must be submitted to Council to ensure the group undertaking food handling is aware of their responsibility to comply with the Food Act 2006 and Food Safety Standards.